Simon appeared in her vision, upside down and standing at her head. He smiled. The fingers of his right hand were bent at odd angles, like he was holding the strings of a puppet. Every now and then, she thought she could see the amber light glint off strings that ran from them, to her.
“This—this can’t be real—” she whispered, her heart pounding in her ears. “Please, don’t do this. Please.”
“This is very real. These are my gifts, beautiful girl.” He leaned down over her a little, the dark curls of his hair falling alongside his cheeks. “I’m afraid you’re mine now. Commit willingly, and it’ll be so much more pleasant for you. Don’t you want to save your friend Trent?” When she only sobbed, he tutted. “You’re just afraid. When you take the leap, when the fall is over, you’ll be glad I made you change your mind and turned you into one of my dolls.”
“You said I could say no—”
“I’m afraid I changed my mind.”
“You can’t do this!”
He smiled. “Oh, but I can. Usually, I don’t take unwilling children. I hate the whining. And I have plenty of people who come to me because they want me to solve their problems. But for you, tasty, sweet, delicious Cora—for you, I’ll make an exception.” He grinned. “Are you ready, cupcake?”
She felt tears streak down her cheeks. She was shivering.
“I want to go home…” It was a childish wish. But it was the only thing she could think of to say. “Please.”
He shushed her and stroked her cheek, the other hand still holding the strings that controlled her limbs. It was a gentle, tender touch. He leaned down to kiss her. But she knew it wasn’t a simple embrace.
These were the fangs of the spider, ready to fill her with poison. He’d wrap her in his cocoon and drink her dry. She sensed the danger. Something inside her was screaming, even if she couldn’t make the sound.
“Please—” she whispered, feeling his lips ghost against hers. She might as well have been begging a demon. She might be doing just that. She knew it was hopeless, but she had to try. “Let me go home…”
“Oh, sweetheart.” He hesitated before sealing the embrace. “But you are home.”
Her life was going to end.
She thought she would just waste away over the years. Wind up in a wheelchair like so many people with her disease. She thought she’d live her boring, painful life, and die a boring, painful death. She had dreaded it.
Now she realized how much better that option really was.
His lips pressed against hers. Her heart hitched in her chest.
A booming voice interrupted her racing thoughts.
“Enough!”
18
Cora hit the dirt hard. Simon released her from the horrible invisible strings in the least gentle way possible. She groaned and held her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain. She could barely register the shouting that was going on over her for the second time that week.
And it was the same two people shouting.
“Get out, Ringmaster. Now is not the time for your constant meddling! We had a deal.”
Simon’s voice reminded her how much danger she was in through the fog of pain in her head. She scrambled away from him, staggered to her feet, and ran full-tilt into a giant, squishy wall. A hand settled on her shoulder.
“Our deal is void. You lied. I shouldn’t be surprised. But you acted in bad faith, and now things have changed.” Why was everybody in this stupid circus so fucking tall? It was a strange and irrelevant thought to have, but it came to her anyway. The source of the voice was Turk, the Ringmaster. He was looming over her. When he smiled down at her, his expression was warm and sympathetic. “I warned you not to come back here. But now I understand why you did. You should have told me what the Faire showed you.”
“How do you know…?”
“I spoke with Mr. Harrow. He told me what the Faire had said to you. He told me what it wants with you. What it really wants with you.” He kept his heavy hand on her shoulder. “I am very sorry for Simon’s mistreatment of you.”
“Mistreatment!” Simon was furious. “I was going to give her all that she ever wanted. All she ever needed! A home—a family—freedom from her pain. She is mine, Ringmaster. We had a deal. You’re ruining my plans. Get out!”
“I’m afraid your plans no longer matter.” The Ringmaster was still smiling down at her, even if he was talking to Simon. “You broke them when you didn’t tell me that the Faire wanted her to fill the empty slot.”
“Turk, I need to go, please—” She tried to squeak around the double-wide man who was taking up most of the aisle.
The grasp on her shoulder grew harsher, and he pulled her back to him. “I’m very sorry, Cora. But I can’t let you leave.”
“What? Why?” She felt her heart drop into her stomach. “You can’t keep me here.”
“Yes, I can. And sadly, I have direct orders to do just that.”
Something snatched her wrist. Something thin and tight. It yanked her around, so she was facing Simon. The invisible and impossible string started to pull her back to him. But before she could go far, Turk was in between them. His hand caught whatever was holding her and yanked. He tugged Simon forward instead, and it sent the Puppeteer staggering to keep himself upright. She wasn’t moving toward him anymore, but she also couldn’t pull her hand back. That meant she couldn’t run, either.
Simon’s expression, always smiling, was now twisted in rage. “She belongs to me. I saw her first—I tasted her first—she’s mine. You have no right to take her!”
“I may not have the right, but Mr. Harrow does. We have a vacancy. One that you made empty, Puppeteer.”
“So much grief over a waste of life.” He laughed. “Hernandez was such a disappointment. We’re all better for his absence, and you know it. The only good he ever served was in becoming my plaything! Even if you make her take the zero—even if Mr. Harrow makes this stupid mistake—I’ll still eat her whole, just like I did to the last one!”
Take the zero? What the fuck are they even talking about? “Please, just let me go—”
Ringmaster glanced back at her and smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry, Cora. I really am.” The huge man looked back to Simon, and his expression instantly hardened. “She shall take the zero, as Mr. Harrow wishes. And you will not harm her. Not now, not ever.”
“You can’t stop me.” Simon’s expression twisted back into a sick smile. “You can’t ever stop me. I can’t kill you—but you can’t kill me either, can you, fat man?”
“Oh, but I can stop you, Puppeteer. You have a price to pay. Your tab has been open since you mutilated Hernandez.” Ringmaster wrapped the invisible string around his arm and yanked Simon forward a few more steps. The Puppeteer dug in his heels, but the bigger man was clearly stronger.
“Release me, you tub of lard!” Simon yanked, but the Ringmaster kept reeling him in like a fish on a line. She was still trapped on the other side end. Simon snarled and pulled again, but it did no good. “You have no right—”